


Shattered

by Fawn4Life



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 14:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6707218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawn4Life/pseuds/Fawn4Life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every night was the same. Yang would lay down and fall asleep, only to find herself facing the girl on the train again. She wanted a rematch. No, she needed a rematch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shattered

**Author's Note:**

> Written for grinningmoonlight's birthday last year, who requested angst involving an idea that Neo's semblance is both clones and illusions.

ink haunted her dreams.

Every night was the same. Yang would lay down and fall asleep, only to find herself facing the girl on the train again. And every time the dream would end the same: with her dead on the floor as the girl stood over her broken body, a smirk on her lips.

And then Yang would jolt upright, soaked with sweat and tears.

She wanted a rematch. No, she needed a rematch.

So when Yang had spotted the girl (Neo, she had found out during one of the heists) trying to sneak off at the next White Fang robbery that they had foiled, she took the opportunity to introduce the girl to her fists, charging at her with a loud warcry. Neo never moved, only stared at her with that strange, peculiar smile. Yang soon found out why, as her fist passed through her target’s chest, Neo’s form wavering before shattering beneath her fist.

Jerking her hand back, Yang let out an angry bellow, crimson eyes searching frantically for any hint of pink. She found it, the girl waving at her cheerily from fifty yards away before taking off. Someone that small should not have been that fast.

Ignoring the cries of her teammates, Yang took off after the speeding demon as fast as her legs would let her, the sounds of heavy footsteps and harsh breathing filling her ears. All across the shipping district she ran, until finally she found herself inside of an empty warehouse facing not one, but two umbrella-wielding enemies.

“Well shit.”

Clones. Of course her semblance was clones. And unlike Blake’s clones that lasted for only a split second, it seemed that these ones were fully functioning.

A cocky smirk worked its way onto Yang’s lips as she cracked her knuckles, Ember Celica whirring as it clicked into place. “Two of ya, huh? Guess that means you get an extra beating!”

Cocking her hand back, Yang punched forward, sending a volley of bullets towards them. Grinning simultaneously, the clones raised their umbrellas, bullets bouncing off and ricocheting back towards Yang. Eyes widening, Yang threw herself to the ground at the last second, the bullets whizzing harmlessly above her. “Phew!”

A sharp heel came crashing down where her head had been half a second ago, Yang having rolled out of the way just in time. Pink and brown eyes stared back at her, and Yang snarled when she saw the laughter in them. The little shit was mocking her.

Yang kicked her leg out in a sweeping arc, hoping to trip the girl up. She missed her mark, Neo flipping backwards gracefully to avoid her kick. Still, Yang used the momentum to right herself, planting a hand on the ground as she readied herself to charge once more.

“Yang!!”

Startled, Yang turned her head towards the cry. “Blake?”

Her distraction cost her, as Yang found out via the umbrella to the gut. Her breath left her in a whoosh, knees trembling as she fought from falling over. For such a shrimp, the girl sure packed a punch. Still, despite the pain Yang grinned, grabbing the umbrella and holding on tightly.

A quick glance showed her partner’s path being blocked by the other copy. Trusting Blake to handle herself, Yang focused on the one in front of her. “Well come on! Are we gonna fight or not?”

Neo was as silent as ever, although she did give a mocking little bow in response. Snarling in anger, Yang smashed her fists together and charged once more. Punch after punch, kick after kick, and it. DID. NOTHING. An umbrella smashed her right in the face, hurtling her backwards into a steel beam.

Screaming in frustration, Yang pushed herself out of the small dent and ejected the spent shells from her gauntlets, tossing the new rounds into the air and holding her arms out so they could click into place. Her mouth twisted into a grimace, red tinting her vision and blood burning hot.

Rapid fire punches had Neo flipping backwards to avoid the bullets that whizzed past her, dodging so gracefully that Yang would have been impressed if she wasn’t so pissed.

“Would you stay still, you - _ugh_ \- little fucker??”

A flaming fist smashed into a steel beam as Neo ducked underneath, denting it and causing it to buckle under its own weight. Ignoring it, Yang yanked her arm free and dashed forward, steam billowing from her mouth as sparks crackled around her. A swift kick to her side had her nearly choking on the steam as she was sent crashing into a pile of crates, breaking most of them under her weight. Ignoring the splinters of wood, Yang jumped back up and took a look around, trying to find where Neo had disappeared to.

Off to her right, her partner was currently engaged with another clone, sword clashing against umbrella over and over again. At least Blake seemed to be faring better than she was at the moment, managing to snag Neo’s umbrella with her ribbon and dispatching the clone with two shots to the head even as Yang watched. The clone vanished in a burst of smoke, dissipating in seconds.

Yang gritted her teeth, nails digging into her palms. How could Blake take Neo down so easily when _she couldn’t?_ Logically, she knew why; Blake’s speed far outclassed hers, something that made taking down a person like Neo much easier than Yang’s brute strength. That still didn’t mean she liked it though, mind whispering that it wasn’t fair how Blake could take down her arch nemesis when Yang herself was unable to.

Amber eyes locked with hers, Blake grimacing a bit as she rolled her shoulder, making her way over to where Yang was standing. “How’re you doing?”

“How d'you think?” she answered lowly. Her body ached from the multiple hits she had taken, bruises already littering her arms from where she had to block that _god forsaken umbrella_ several times. Blake tsked in sympathy, resting a hand on Yang’s shoulder. Even still, Yang could feel the tension in Blake’s hand, faunus ears twitching back and forth. “Can you hear her?”

“Barely,” Blake responded, cocking her head to the side. “She’s so quiet, I can just-” The grip on Yang’s shoulder tightened painfully, and Yang found herself being shoved to the side as an umbrella came whipping through the air where she and Blake had just stood. Giving Blake a nod in thanks, Yang turned to face Neo.

“What’s the plan?”

“I take this fucking bitch down,” Yang growled, eyes never leaving Neo’s smug fucking face. She would be victorious this time even if it killed her.

Blake’s voice was harsh, jolting Yang from her thoughts. “That’s worked so well before. Let me help.”

“I got this!”

“Yang!”

The blonde scowled; knowing that Blake was right and admitting it were two different things. “Fine. Let’s do bumbleby. I want this to end.”

The relief in Blake’s voice let her know she had made the right decision. “Understood.”

Her partner’s hand slid into her own briefly, pushing Gambol into Yang’s hand before Blake darted forth to kick Neo’s umbrella from her hands, sending the weapon flying across the warehouse. Gripping the cool metal tight, Yang began to run as fast as she could. The ribbon snapped taut, and Yang grinned as she used her gauntlets to gain more speed until everything was a blur. Faster and faster she went, wind whistling in her ears until Blake let out a yell, sending Yang hurtling towards Neo. Fist cocked and ready, Yang could see the way Neo’s eyes widened before she was struck by Yang’s fist, gauntlet firing a round into the girl’s stomach and sending her flying into the wall.

Yang’s momentum carried her along the same path as Neo. Angling her shoulder, Yang made sure to keep her head low as she tackled the girl, slamming into her. Smirking in victory, Yang landed on her feet and gripped the girl’s throat tight enough to leave bruises, the sounds of her choked cries giving her satisfaction. Fire coursed her veins, the rage she had been feeling bubbling just under her skin. The air seemed to crackle around them, little sparks of flame and smoke that licked at her skin, fueling her anger.

There would be no escape for the girl this time. No. Yang was going to end it.

Permanently.

The girl was shaking her head frantically, nails clawing at Yang’s hand in an attempt to make her let go. With a loud growl, Yang slammed her back into the wall and drew her free hand back, using every bit of strength she had to punch the girl in the stomach. Her fist sunk through soft flesh and didn’t stop until it was buried in the concrete wall behind Neo, trapping her in place. Blood sprayed through the air as Neo coughed, splattering Yang’s face with flecks of red. With a dark smile, her eyes tracked the tears up pale cheeks, settling on pain-filled amber orbs.

“Wh-What?”

The illusion shattered, and Yang found herself facing her partner instead of Neo.

“No… No! _Nononono oh god! Blake!”_

The red bled from her eyes until they were lilac once more, vision no longer tinted by the colour. Except, when she looked downwards, her entire right arm was still stained crimson. Gagging, Yang wrenched her arm free and scrambled away, only to let out an anguished cry as Blake collapsed on the ground.

There was blood everywhere. She hadn’t held back in her attempt to destroy Neo, and that had translated to the gaping hole in Blake’s stomach. A puddle was rapidly forming around her partner’s form, Blake’s face already deathly pale except for the blood dripping from her mouth.

Distantly, she heard the sound of footsteps as Neo fled the scene, but Yang couldn’t bring herself to care. Not when she was covered in Blake’s blood.

Sobbing, Yang crawled over to Blake and cradled the girl’s face, rocking back and forth. “ _Oh god,_ what have I done.. What have I done- I didn’t mean to- oh god..” She let out a miserable moan, pressing her forehead against Blake’s as she clutched her tight. _“I’m sorry!”_

“Hey… shhh…” Blake’s voice was but a whisper, barely audible. “You’re o-okay now…”

“You’re not!” Yang cried. The tears were coming now and they wouldn’t stop. She had- god, she had killed Blake! There was no coming back from that type of injury, not when Yang could see the floor beneath Blake just by peering at her gut. She had ruptured organs, destroyed pretty much everything in Blake’s lower half; it was a miracle the girl was still breathing.

The one person Yang cared for, loved besides Ruby, and she had…

Trembling fingers found hers, Blake’s lips quirking upwards just the slightest bit. “It was-wasn’t-” She was cut off, face contorting in agony as she coughed. Yang did her best to soothe her, fingers running through black tresses and scratching at the base of Blake’s ears in an attempt to make the pain lessen. A gentle squeeze was given in thanks, Blake’s voice rough when it finally returned. “It wasn’t y-your fault. I don’t… Don’t blame you.”

“It was my fault though! I was just so angry and mad and-and-” Yang hiccupped, wiping at her eyes. “You’re dying because of me! Because I couldn’t control myself and now you’re hurt and I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, Blake! You’re my best friend, _I love you!_ ” Her voice cracked as the weight of what she had done began to sink in. “I love you… a-and now it’s too late… You’re gonna die and I’m gonna be all alone again..”

“You’ll.. never be al-alone, Yang.” Blake’s smile was warm even as tears rolled down her cheeks, mixing with the flecks of blood and staining her face with streaks of pink. “I lov-”

“Don’t!” Yang shook her head wildly, her own tears falling freely. “Don’t say it! Don’t- You can’t say it now!”

“I love you, Yang…”

An ugly, ragged cry tore at Yang’s throat, the fluttering of her heart at the confession doused by the fact that Blake was dying. There would be no first date, no romance, no… Anything. Just this, her holding Blake in her arms as the girl she loved eventually succumbed to her wounds. Wounds that Yang had given her.

“Yang…?” Blake’s voice was weak, her breathing shallow. Even through the grimy light that filtered in through the small windows around the warehouse, Yang could see just how pale Blake was getting.

She swallowed hard, biting her tongue to keep from sobbing. “Yeah?”

“Will you…” A pained inhale. “Kiss me?”

The laughter that bubbled up was a tad hysterical. “That’s not… Blake, that’s not _fair!_ ”

“I know..” Blake whispered. “Please? I just… J-just once.”

She wanted to, god, how she wanted to. Yang had dreamed about Blake’s lips more than once, had imagined their first kiss endless times… She would never have thought in her wildest dreams that it would have ended up like this. But… She could never deny Blake anything before, and now that Blake was requesting a kiss? Yang just couldn’t say no. Not when she knew they’d never have another chance.

The kiss was soft and gentle, tasting of copper and broken dreams as Yang did her best to memorize the feeling of Blake’s lips, pressing her mouth against Blake’s over and over again. It was only when Blake stopped responding to the kisses that Yang froze, whispering against soft lips, “Blake?”

Silence.

Yang kissed Blake again, harder, more insistent, keeping her eyes closed. She knew, just knew, what she would see if she opened them, and she couldn’t face that. “B-Blake…?”

There was no answer, only a salty tang as her tears dripped down, mingling with the kiss.

It was some time before Yang could bring herself to open her eyes. Dull amber stared back, the spark that made them shine like gold gone. Laying the girl down, Yang reached out and closed Blake’s eyelids with shaky fingers.

And then she screamed.

And screamed.

Flames surrounded her, the very air itself igniting and spreading to the broken crates and debris that littered the floor. Even as the temperature climbed, Yang felt cold inside. Numb. She wanted Blake- She wanted- She couldn’t do this. Not without her. She needed to be with Blake, had to be with her-

Red filled Yang’s vision once more.

When Ruby and Weiss eventually found her, there was nothing left of the warehouse but a smoldering crater and twisted heaps of metal, and Yang kneeling on the ground in the middle of it all, weeping softly as she clutched a burnt body in her arms.


End file.
